Writing on the Wall

Daniel 5:23-25

²³ but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored.

²⁴ “Then from his presence the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. ²⁵ And this is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin.

Rebellious and reckless are terms we use today to describe someone who just does not pay attention or heed direction. For those of us who have lived a little, we can see the outcome of reckless and rebellious living. For others, well, they have chosen to learn the hard way. In short, they have to see the writing on the wall.

Belshazzar was said to be Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson. He was king after his grandfather, and the Bible’s only glimpse into his life was a crazy party with nobles, wine, concubines, and a whole lot of sinful behavior. In the middle of the party, after he calls for the golden articles of the temple of Judah to be brought to him so all his party guests could drink out of them, a hand magically appears and writes a message on the wall: Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin. The Bible says he was scared and pale. Needless to say, the party had taken a turn for sober, if you will. Daniel is summoned and translates the message that was written on the wall. In short, Belshazzar drew the final straw that broke the camel’s back, and his life was to be taken that very night. His kingdom was given over to the Medes, and Darius would become ruler in his place.

Great story, this is. A hand appeared out of nowhere and wrote something on the wall, a message that no one could translate except for the man of God. Before Daniel translated the message, we read that he gave the king a short history of his grandfather and how the Lord had humbled him (yesterday’s devotional).

Belshazzar ignored the warning and chose to party with all the sacred articles of the temple of God instead of humbling himself before the Lord. All the writing was already on the wall for this guy, and he chose to ignore it.

Maybe you are in the same spot? You show up and do the church thing because it looks good to your peers, but while everyone is away, you turn and party it up. Your life looks like a chess match between the world and God, moving your pawns to distract the more powerful pieces in your life, sacrificing what you have to in order to maintain your worldly life. Belshazzar was in this position. Daniel was in a place of power and authority in Babylon, and not too far away was the story of his grandfather being humbled by the Lord.

Verse 20 tells us that “when his heart (Nebuchadnezzar) and mind were puffed up with arrogance, he was brought down from his royal throne and stripped of his glory.” Every day we have choices. These choices are trials that the Lord gives us (James 1:2–4). These trials are meant to test our faith and give our endurance a chance to grow. James tells us to “let it grow,” because when you have walked through the trial you will be “perfect and complete, needing nothing.” Keep in mind, you have to let the endurance grow. It does not all of a sudden pop out of thin air and give you the endurance of a marathon runner. No, you have to let it grow.

So today, be mindful of the trials and troubles you have before you. Instead of wishing they were not there, turn to the Lord and ask Him, “What do you want me to learn in this?” Even reckless and rebellious behavior has to grow in order to wreck your life.

Today, realize you are being watched. The Lord holds your life and all your ways in His hands. He is watching. You may be stepping through muck every day, wondering when it will stop, and partying to ward off the pain of it all. Submit to the Lord in all your ways, not just when others are watching. Belshazzar ignored all of it until the Lord intervened. Don’t wait until things get worse. Commit today. Begin every day with a prayer, study the Word, help people, live clean, and do what Jesus did. The fair warning in your life does not have to signal a nasty end.

Prayer: Father, help me to keep my eyes focused on You today. I pray for endurance to weather the troubles I have in my life right now. I pray that I keep my focus on Your ways and not the world. Help me to listen and obey, and surround myself with godly friends who lift me up when I cannot stand on my own. In Jesus’ name, amen.